Since the beginning of the pandemic, the health situation in Nepal is worsening and schools remain closed. We have no visibility on the date of their reopening. It has been more than 8 months that the children have not seen their friends, that they are not taken care of. This pedagogical break will increase the inequalities if we do not act to recreate a link with the youngest children in particular (3-5 years old). To respond to this situation while taking into account the sanitary conditions, our teams have launched a digital kindergarten in Nepal with Child Nepal!
Tested since mid-October, the virtual classroom is intended for children aged 3 to 5 years old who were previously welcomed in our Maternelle de l'Espoir or in a public school in the suburbs of Kathmandu (Tokha). It is led by Sabita, teacher and director of the Maternelle de l'Espoir. 10 children meet one hour a day, from Monday to Friday, via the Zoom platform.
Each day, Sabita recreates a classroom environment and offers students numerous activities to engage and stimulate them: songs, the day's date, colors, alphabet... Sabita enriches daily rituals with thematic activities. One month after its launch, Sabita reports a good attendance rate among students. At the beginning of November, she began visiting the homes of the beneficiaries to assess their environment and detect the most vulnerable people who would need more help (access to the Internet for example).
We now hope to roll out this model with more students and offer more classes per day to continue to give the most vulnerable children a fair chance at an education.
This project is part of a multi-country program in favor of early childhood, implemented by PE&D and supported in Nepal by its local partners (Prayash Nepal and Child Nepal).
November 9, 2020
